Rio Ferdinand sums up Erik ten Hag meeting after Cristiano Ronaldo interview in four words

Rio Ferdinand admitted he worried over how his meeting with Erik ten Hag would go down following his blockbuster interview with Cristiano Ronaldo given the Portugal star’s frosty relationship with the Manchester United boss. The England great made the trip to the club’s Carrington training complex last week to interview the Dutchman just hours after his interview with his former team-mate was released and admitted ‘it was absolutely fine’ despite his anxieties.

Ronaldo made the rounds on social media for criticising Ten Hag’s mentality, admitting that it is wrong for the United coach to say that the club are not in a position to challenge for the Premier League title. The potentially awkward reception Ferdinand thought he may have received was in fact the complete opposite.

Talking on Rio Ferdinand Presents alongside co-host Joel Beya and guest Jermaine Pennant, Ferdinand initially joked about the timing of Ronaldo’s interview release, saying: “It made it a bit sticky I’ve got to be honest with you” before explaining: “The interview with Cristiano dropped on the Thursday 8am or 9am that morning, I was in the training ground at 10am.”

Ferdinand’s fears were quickly dashed as he revealed: “So the interview dropped I walked in thinking ‘this could be a bit frosty this morning, [I’ve] got to see Erik ten Hag and the players’, so I walked in [and] it was absolutely fine. I liked what I saw when I walked in there the other day, I have to say. The atmosphere felt as clean and pure as I’ve seen it for a while. Smiles everywhere.

“I was walking and talking with Erik ten Hag doing an interview, training had finished, and I walked around. I was looking at the pitch and two players were on there doing extras – shooting. Cracking up, laughing, doing a competition. Bruno and Marcus Rashford.

“It warmed my heart, you know, because we used to talk so much about Rashford not looking happy. I’ve been one of the main voices saying that we need to see a happy, smiling, joyful Marcus to get the best out of him.”

Enjoying the smile on Rashford’s face, Ferdinand added: “I stopped the interview and said ‘look Marcus is laughing, he looks happy man! That ain’t the Marcus I keep seeing on the weekends’, and the manager said ‘This is the Marcus we see here everyday’.”

Amid the mixed start to the season United have had thus far, more controversy was sparked with Ronaldo’s comments towards Ten Hag who played it off when talking to the media. “He said that; That Manchester United can’t win the Premier League,” the Dutchman said.

“He said this. If you read the article very well. He is far away in Saudi, far away from Manchester so everyone can have an opinion and is entitled to have an opinion. It is OK.” Ten Hag’s side bounced back from their 3-0 humiliation at the hands of Liverpool earlier this month to defeat Southampton 3-0 this past weekend.